The Trials and Tribulations of a Spectre and His Human Tagalong
by Kagen Brown
Summary: A collection of random Saren and Cira stories that may or may not actually have a place in the Fit to Burst series timeline. Just random thoughts that I decided to write about.
1. Of All the Skills He does Have

As I said in the description, these are just random encounters between Saren and Cira that mostly do not have an actual place in the Fit to Burst series timeline. But I wanted to write them anyway so this isn't like an ongoing story. I'll just post something if I get an idea. Anyways this is the first idea that I had. ENJOY!

* * *

**Of All the Skills He does have…**

"Oh come on. It's not that bad."

"You said that this mission was of the utmost importance."

"It is! Everyone needs a vacation at some point. Even you. Yes, you. Saren Arterius, the Council's top Spectre. I mean, they just work you to death don't they. You poor thing. I'm thinking you could use a break don't you?"

"No."

"Well too bad. You're taking one."

Cira grinned at him. She was her usual happy-go-lucky self but today she was taking it up a notch. They were currently on Kazath. A planet well know by humans, but not by Saren, for its mild climate and beautiful beaches. A perfect vacation spot in Cira's opinion. She had tricked Saren into coming here then completely dismantled crucial components of his ship so he couldn't leave.

Now they were in a vacation home with a private beach that Cira had rented for a week.

"There are more important missions to take care of."

"You can't trick me Saren, I've read all of your mission files and I know that you've got some time to play with. So relax. You can't leave without my approval anyway and you're not getting it until the end of this week so come down to the beach with me."

He snorted and retreated to one of the two bedrooms in the home, the holo-lock turning red to indicate that he'd locked the door; like that could keep her out if she wanted to get in.

"Suit yourself." She grinned again and ran out the back door, pulling her shirt over her head and stopping only to step out of her shorts, already prepared with a purple monokini on underneath. Even if he didn't enjoy this forced vacation, she would.

* * *

Two days into the vacation and Saren hadn't spent more than an hour outside of his room. Cira had been running about town doing who knows what but he didn't care. Even if he couldn't handle his missions from here, there was always paperwork to be done. He was just about to file the report he had been working on when he heard laughter from the beach. It wasn't Cira. He grabbed his gun off of the dresser and dashed outside to confront the intruder.

Outside he found Cira, along with two Asari and a Turian. They were in pairs on either side of a tall net, hitting a large white ball back and forth over it. They were all clad in very revealing outfits, The Asari with scraps of cloth covering their cleavage and groin as well as Cira (Which he didn't mind so much), and the Turian, wearing only some cloth shorts. Their game stopped when he came out, weapon at the ready. The Asari backed away from him, cowering against each other, The Turian just looked confused and Cira just smirked at him.

"A little trigger happy Saren? Guess that makes sense. Want to play?"

Cira's reaction to the Spectre seemed to put the Asari at ease and they resumed their places on the sand court. The Turian stepped out, gesturing for Saren to take his place but the older Turian shook his head and the player resumed his position next to Cira. Saren made his way back into the house as they resumed their game, grumbling his distaste for the guests. Once in his room, he pulled the blinds on his window to the side just enough to peek out at them. The goal of the game seemed to hit the ball to the opposite side of the net in the hopes that the opposing team could not hit it back and it lands on the ground. The game itself did not really interest him; he was focused on Cira and her quite attractive outfit. It was made out of a purple fabric that looked smooth and silky. It covered her breasts, the front of her midsection, leaving the lovely curve of her back exposed, and her groin. There were ties on either side of her hips, around her back, just under her shoulder blades, and around the back of her neck to hold the suit on. In a moment of weakness he imagined pulling those ties until they came loose, allowing the cloth to fall away, leaving her exposed to him.

He shook the daydream away and focused on her companions. There were the Asari, one of which was eyeing the Turian and behaving quite provocatively toward him and the other was doing the same toward Cira. The Turian also seemed to be interested in the little human, hanging back, a little ways behind her and gawking every time she dove for the ball. Saren growled lowly, the urge to shoot the intruders returning. Cira seemed oblivious to her teammate's and her opponent's interest in her, though Saren knew that she probably noticed their infatuation. Still, she played on, as if everything was fine. Saren dutifully kept watch the entire length of the game to make sure no one made a move on his yellow fringed human and he actually sighed with relief when they left without incident. He walked out into the main room just as Cira shut the front door behind her departed guests.

"Who were they?"

"The Asari were Hama and Deidris and the Turian was Monkantis. I met them in town yesterday."

"And you just invited them over without knowing them?"

"Not everyone is secretly hatching some devious plot Saren. Most people come here just to have a good time. That's why we're here right?"

He glared at her and stormed back into his room.

* * *

The three guests had begun imposing their presence on this vacation home more than Saren was comfortable with. Not that he was comfortable with them at all. Especially Monkantis, who had made a point of hanging around even more than the Asari. Saren often heard his voice through the thin walls of his bedroom, telling Cira about all of his adventures and current ambitions; nothing particularly interesting in Saren's opinion. He had had many more adventures then Monkantis would have in his entire lifetime and they were far more entertaining. He scowled as he heard Cira laugh as a story that he supposed must have been funny to a human. It made him even angrier that this younger Turian had forgone all courtesy and hadn't even inquired about Cira's relationship with Saren. Though to be fair, they hadn't exactly labeled that relationship.

He realized that he couldn't hear them anymore. Maybe they had left. He exited the room and went out to the main area. They were there. Monkantis was naked from the waist up, having removed his shirt so Cira could examine a large scar across the plates on his back. It was impressive, Saren had to admit, but he himself had plenty of scars just as impressive. Cira noticed him then.

"Saren, come look at this. It's a scar from a battle he was in on Nos Teirdes. It's pretty cool."

"I'm sure it's nothing to be impressed by."

Monkantis smirked at him. "I take it you don't have much experience with scars or battles do you Gramps?"

This pup obviously didn't know who he was. Cira cast a worried look in his direction, trying to judge whether or not Saren was going to take the younger Turian's head off. Saren kept his cool though, despite how desperately he wanted to tear Monkantis's limbs off. Instead, he simply replied.

"You should use the bountiful resource called the extranet to do a little research. Saren Arterius."

"Yeah, whatever. Would you leave us alone? I've still got tons of scars to show the little lady and I don't think you've got the stomach for them."

Cira winced. Saren would tolerate such comments from her, but now she wouldn't be surprised if someone found Monkantis dead in a dark, deserted alley. Saren retreated back to his room but he could still hear Cira through the walls.

"Maybe you should go."

"Whatever, if you say so. Maybe next time I can show you some scars I've got…a little lower."

He raised his voice on that last part, definitely just to make sure that Saren could hear.

"Yeah, we'll see about that. You should definitely do that research Saren suggested."

"I suppose I can. Shouldn't take me long to read what comes up."

"Yes, do the research."

"Alright I will. See you later."

The door closed behind him and Saren had to strain to hear Cira's next words.

"It was nice knowing you Dumbass."

He smirked at her dismissal of Monkantis as an idiot and went back to filling out his paperwork.

* * *

Cira was chatting with Hama in her room. But thanks to the paper thin walls, which Saren was starting to appreciate very much, he could hear their conversation.

"I won't be able to come over today. Deidris may not be there either."

"Ok so it will just be Monkantis again?"

"Yeah, probably, but I'll definitely be there tomorrow."

"Alright. See you."

Monkantis was coming over again today. Saren wondered absently if he had bothered to do any research. Whether he did or not, Saren did not like the idea of him spending any more time with Cira. There was one thing he could think of that would definitely let him know to stay away from her. He left his own bedroom and went next door to hers. She was lying in her bed, with her arm draped over her eyes, the sunlight streamed in through her open window making her blonde fringe shine like strands of golden silk. She seemed unaware of his presence and he crept up next to the bed. She just happened to move her arm then, her eyes opening and immediately focusing on him. She didn't question his presence in her room. Only smiled warmly at him.

Saren crawled onto the bed on top of her, running a hand up her arm to her shoulder. She sighed. It had been a while since he had touched her and she was worried that he was losing interest in her. He ran his talons through her hair, pulling gently on the strands. The sensation made Cira moan lightly and she tilted her head back to grant him access to her neck. He leaned in and ran his tongue over the soft pale skin there. She tasted sweet, almost like the berries he and Desolas used to pick when they were children. He allowed that pleasant memory of his brother to fade as Cira brought her hands up to massage small circles in the back of his neck. He purred, loud enough for her to hear, to show his appreciation and moved his hands to her shirt. It was made of a very light and almost see-through material. Remembering how mad she got when he ripped clothes off of her, he lifted her up to a sitting position and pulled the shirt over her head. Next came her bra, an article of clothing that had once been a challenge for him to remove was now quickly discarded by deft Turian digits. He pushed her back down and lowered his face to her stomach, tasting the skin there, allowing his tongue to dip into that nice little indent, a 'bellybutton' he thought it was called. It was surprisingly sensitive and Saren continued to lick her there while his hands came up to palm her breasts.

She arched into his touch, feeling her nipples hardening as rough palms ran over them. Her breasts weren't extremely sensitive but she felt every crevice and scar on those war torn hands. His tongue finally left her navel, wandering upward until he reached her chest. He shifted then, removing his hand from one of her breasts and using that dexterous tongue of his to tease her nipple while pinching the other lightly between his talons. Cira moaned again, louder this time. Saren didn't usually take too much time with foreplay so this was a rare treat for her. She had to make sure he knew just how much she enjoyed the attention. He switched breasts, now licking the one he had been pinching and vise versa. His free hand wandered down until it found the waist of her shorts, hooking them and dragging them down. Cira lifted her hips slightly to allow them through and kicked them off. Saren then abandoned her nipples and moved all the way down to her sex, taking a moment to study her before diving in, tongue now enthusiastically exploring this new area.

Soon enough he had Cira squirming and moaning beyond her own control. She let out a breathy gasp as his tongue circled her clit again. He had been slowly but steadily building her up to her first climax and he could tell that she was close. He licked that sensitive little nub again and she pressed into the contact, her hips bucking forward without any direction from her. She was right there. One more lick would do it. But he pulled away and Cira whimpered when that last bit of pleasure didn't come. Instead, Saren began to nip at her legs, trailing a series of bits down the inside of her thigh, dragging his teeth lightly over her calf and the instep of her foot, before repeating the trail on the other leg. He did this twice and Cira probably would have cried if he had continued to deny her release. But finally she felt his breath on her again and he slid two fingers into her, pumping them a few times to bring her back to the edge before bearing down on that bundle of nerves until she came in a wave of shudders and moans and soft cries.

He felt her walls clench around his talons and he pulled them free, removing his own clothing and replacing those talons with his ready and waiting cock before she had even recovered. He entered her fast enough to feel the last few shockwaves of her release, her inner walls grabbing him in a way that made him want to fuck her as fast and hard as he could. A desire that he gave in to. He began to move, gradually picking up speed until he had her crying out, pushing her up to another earth-shattering orgasm. He grabbed her hips, holding her in place as he pounded away, more concerned about his own release at the moment. She started to clench around him again, adding more delicious friction and chipping away at the delicate control he had to keep himself from going completely crazy. It didn't take much longer for him to be pushed over the edge himself. He thrust into her and held still as he came and Cira cried out as she followed. He didn't move until the aftershocks trembling through his body subsided. Then he leaned forward to rest his forehead against Cira's. She smiled at him, completely at peace but he wasn't done yet. He pulled out of her and flipped her over so she was supporting herself on her forearms, with her rear up in the air.

He positioned himself behind her and entered her again, only this time, instead of the fast paced fucking, he kept a slow rhythmic pace, one that would begin to build her up again, but not too quickly. He leaned forward over her and wrapped an arm around her to grip the front of her neck. Not choking, just a light pressure. Even though the previous fucking had been intense and incredible, Cira found this slower pace to be even more so. It was romantic, in a way, dreamy even and definitely not something she would have expected from Saren but as he led her to yet another orgasm she found that she was perfectly okay with it. Her quiet mewling only spurred him on and his thrusts, though still just as slow, became more forceful. She was still sensitive from her previous orgasms so it didn't take very long for him to bring her to her peak once again. He tightened his grip on her throat slightly and thrust into her, hard. She broke again, tears coming to her eyes from the intensity. Saren growled savagely as he buried himself in her one last time, rocketing through his own orgasm.

When they had both recovered, Saren pulled out of her and laid down, pulling her close and letting his bonding scent wash over her. If Monkantis dared to even look at her after this, Saren would have no choice but to rip his throat out.

* * *

Even after the shower that Cira had taken before her Turian guest had arrived hadn't washed away the heavy scent that Saren had left her with. Cira herself hadn't noticed it but Monkantis certainly had. It also seemed like he had at least looked up Saren's name and now knew who he was. The minute he stepped into the room and saw that Saren was there, he lowered his head and shoulders, not wanting to appear taller than Saren and be mistaken as competition for Cira's attentions or even as competition for being the dominant male. His conversation was less cocky and there was a lot less boasting about scars above or below the waist. He asked Saren a few questions about being a Spectre and asked about his and Cira's relationship. The conversation eventually turned to Cira's Spectre candidacy.

"Wow. You were a Spectre trainee? I never would have guessed… not that I don't think you're good enough. I don't know anything about your skills. And I guess you must be good to have even been considered…"

He was showing a little too much interest in Cira and Saren glared at him in warning and he immediately dropped the subject, changing to a topic he figured Saren would find more pleasing.

"So I was thinking about asking Deidris out. I've always had a thing for Asari. Hama's great too but I think she would prefer you Cira."

Saren growled, too low for Cira to hear but Monkantis winced. "I should be going now."

Cira smiled sweetly at him. "You coming tomorrow?"

"Will Hama and Deidris be here?"

"They should be."

"Then maybe. Let me know"

She nodded to tell him she would and he showed himself out. Cira glanced over at Saren.

"I'll probably never understand the nuances of Turian communication. But I'm pretty sure that by all cultural standards that was cruel."

"What? Making him understand that he can't have everything he wants?"

"No, making him so uncomfortable that he is terrified of coming here."

"That was the point. Turians like to set hard boundaries when it comes to their property."

"So I'm your property now?"

"You belong to me, yes."

She glared at him, not liking being objectified but at the same time loving the fact that he would fight to keep her. They only had two days left on this planet and aside from this morning, she hadn't spent any time with her lover. She sent messages to Hama, Deidris and Monkantis telling them that she would not be available for the next two days. Saren was going to enjoy himself here whether he wanted to or not.

* * *

Saren grumbled as he sat in cool sand, the mild sun casting its brilliant light over their private little beach. Cira was inside, putting on a new swimsuit that she had apparently purchased when she went out the other day. She had also bought him some cloth swimming shorts which he was wearing now (not by choice, she practically had to force them on him). He heard her run out of the house and when he turned to look at her, his mouth actually fell open. She hadn't purchased a swimsuit. She had purchased three triangles of cloth with little strings holding them on. She sauntered up to Saren, laughing at his expression.

"Get up we're going swimming."

Saren snapped his mouth shut and forced himself to look away from her.

"Go on and swim then."

"No you're coming with me. You haven't done anything here except sulk in your room and fill out paperwork. That's not what you're supposed to do on a vacation."

"This isn't a vacation."

She knelt beside him, grabbing his arm and pulling herself dangerously close to him.

"Come on. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"

He didn't answer her so she sighed and stood up. "I guess I'll just invite Monkantis over. He'd swim with me."

She activated her omni-tool and started to send him a quick message but Saren's arm shot up of its own accord and grabbed her. He held her arm so she couldn't type and stood up. Cira grinned and started bouncing up and down giddily before pulling him down to the water. When they reached the ocean edge, she released him and ran ahead, splashing into the low waves that steadily beat against the shore. Saren stepped in until the water reached his midsection then just stood there watching Cira dart around in the water like a creature born of the sea. She stopped when she realized that Saren was not swimming with her and she waved to him.

"Come on Saren. If you swim with me I'll even let you pull of this adorable little outfit. I bought it just for you."

When that didn't sway him to take even one more step into the water, Cira swam up to him.

"It's fun Saren. Trust me. You know how to swim right?"

No answer.

"…right?"

She placed her hands on his waste to keep herself steady while she tread water and noticed for the first time how tense he was. He was putting forth such effort to keep still but his body was still trembling slightly under her touch.

"You don't know how to swim."

He didn't deny her, only closed his eyes and continued to focus on keeping still as the waves pressed against them like evil beings trying their best to push him over and drown him.

"You don't have to come in the water. We can do something else."

He could tell that she was disappointed and that she had been looking forward to this. To swimming with him. It was obviously something she enjoyed very much. He ground his teeth together trying to think of what to do, and how far he was willing to go. He stepped forward, dragging Cira with him.

"Saren don't…"

"Show me."

She stared up at him in disbelief. "What?"

"I've been lucky enough to have never encountered a situation where swimming was necessary but I may not be so fortunate in the future. So show me. Since this isn't a vacation, it could be considered training."

Cira beamed at him and readily obeyed showing him the basics on how to tread water and different strokes. It wasn't what she imagined when she had booked this place for the week but in all honesty. She enjoyed this even more. She was being useful to him again. That was all she ever wanted.

* * *

Cira finished installing the last of the parts onto Saren's ship. Their week was up and it was time for her to go back to the Citadel and for Saren to go back to his missions which he steadfastly refused to let her accompany him on. Still, teaching him how to swim was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. He definitely wouldn't be competing in the Intergalactic Olympics, but he wouldn't drown too quickly if he somehow found himself in the middle of an ocean with no hope for rescue. A hand on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts and she turned around to find her Turian lover.

"Are the repairs almost done?"

"Yep just finishing them now."

"Good." He paused for a moment, thinking through his next words before speaking.

"I believe this is a good location for aquatic training. Perhaps we should visit again. I have learned the basics but there is always room for improvement."

Cira smirked at him as she placed the last ship component in its place and closed up the maintenance hatch.

"I'll book our next training session right away, Spectre Arterius."

* * *

Yeah! first side story for Fit to Burst! Like I said, no idea when this actually happens and it probably doesn't actually happen but I just thought of it so I wrote it. Hope you enjoyed. Kagen out.


	2. How Do You Think?

"It's not that big of a deal. It's not like I'll be out every night in bars drinking myself into oblivion."

Cira pulled feebly against the hand that was wrapped in a vice grip around her forearm. Mavis, her friend and colleague was dragging her to one of the many night clubs gracing the Citadel streets. It was almost 10: 30 at night on September 8; Cira's birthday. Mavis pulled even harder as they neared their destination.

"It's not just about being able to drink Cira. Turning 21 symbolizes freedom and finally being recognized as a full adult. At 18 they just let you get your feet wet and let you think that you are grown up. But it's really all about 2 and 1, so tonight being your first night as a fully fledged adult child, we are going to celebrate by…drinking ourselves into oblivion and waking up in the beds of random strangers with massively annoying hangovers. Sound like a plan?"

"Not really…" Cira rolled her eyes but gave up resisting and let herself be yanked through the doors. Pounding music was already assaulting her ears and the energy in the room was almost palpable. The floor was packed with intoxicated, happy-go-lucky patrons who all flowed together in a large, awkward and uncoordinated dance. The two ladies found a booth to sit at and were promptly greeted by a waitress who took down their drink orders and went on her merry way. It would take quite a few drinks before Cira was ready to join the mass of writhing bodies but once she was no longer able to think properly, she was sure it would be a fun night.

It was not a fun morning. Mavis's prediction came true… somewhat. They had drunk themselves into oblivion and Cira definitely had a hangover, but she wasn't in a stranger's bed. In fact she was in her own bed, with Mavis. Cira squeezed her eyes shut against the light pouring in from her window. Reaching out blindly, she felt for the button that would lower the shutters. When the room was sufficiently dimmed, she sat up. Apparently the two of them had been so worn out that neither of them had taken even just their shoes off. Cira carefully crawled over Mavis, succeeding in not waking her and rifled through her drawers for some shorts and a tank top. The clothes she was wearing were wrinkled stained with who knows what and she needed a shower and coffee.

Mavis was awake by the time Cira had washed, changed, and made the coffee. She came stumbling out of the bedroom yawning. She frowned deeply when she saw Cira.

"Aww, I was hoping this apartment belonged to some incredibly hot guy. Preferably a Turian. It's a nice place though."

Cira gave her an apologetic smile and poured two cups, handing one off to Mavis.

"Do you remember anything that happened last night?"

She poked her bottom lip with her finger a few times, her eyes squinting as though she was fighting hard to pull any memories to the surface.

"I remember a break dancing battle between this human guy and a turian; that was hilarious."

"Yes, I figured Turians would probably suck at break dancing and he proved me right. He really tried though, gotta hand it to him."

Mavis nodded enthusiastically, and then winced. "I think I'll need another cup of coffee, and an aspirin. Her cup was quickly refilled and a tiny pill placed in front of her.

"So what now boss?"

Cira poured herself another mug and began sipping at it slowly. "You can hang out here until you feel up to leaving, I don't mind. I'm not sure what I'm going to do today."

Her omni-tool beeped twice and she activated it to check her messages. She read the subject of the first message and she had her answer.

"Actually I'll need to go down to the docking bay. A friend of mine has just arrived."

Mavis finished her second cup of coffee and put the cup in the sink before throwing herself on the couch and pulling a pillow over her head.

"OK, I'll take you up on your offer of staying here for now. Thanks Boss."

Cira grabbed her jacket and bag and rushed out the door, eager to see her long away lover.

The docking bay waiting area was crowded as usual, with people sitting and standing and pacing and…waiting for someone to arrive or leave. To be honest, there were millions of reasons all of these people could be there and Cira didn't really care. She was here waiting for Saren. Of course no one could know that. She was standing in the farthest corner of the designated waiting area, with her omni-tool activated and held up to her face, trying to look busy while she scanned the new arrivals for a grumpy looking, silver plated Turian Spectre. Their relationship was still a complete secret. They had both worked hard to make sure it stayed that way, after all, he did have a reputation to uphold, but Cira still liked to be there to greet him when he returned to the Citadel, even if she couldn't actually go up and greet him. She did her best to remain inconspicuous which wasn't hard now. She had been sort of famous around the Citadel for a while, for being the only student to survive and attack on the elite school that she had attended, but that had died down quickly and now she was just another face in the crowd.

Speaking of crowds, the one closer to the docking bay doors, parted quickly; people jumping out of the way as Saren came barging through, no one wanting to get caught between the ruthless Spectre and his goal; which was probably to reach the Council's Meeting room. He would have to report in on his missions before he could come and find Cira, but he always came to find her. She peeked up at him over her omni-tool screen, her eyes tracking him as he made his way toward the elevators. It was just for a second; a moment so quick that she usually would think that it must have been her imagination, but from experience she knew that it had happened. He had glanced at her. He had seen her. He would find her later.

After 'greeting' Saren, Cira made her way to the Presidium, buying a few random gadgets to pull apart and asking the weapons clerk lots of complicated questions about the weapons he sold, knowing that he wouldn't be able to answer them. She ate at one of her favorite restaurants and altered Avina's speech patterns so she greeted everyone by saying "WASSSSSSSSS UUUUPPPPPPPPPP!", Then she sat in a dark corner and watched people's reactions. She stopped by her company, Rosell Industries to check on the current projects; Improvements to the Citadel's defenses and the new designs for the Citadel fleet ships. Then she went home.

Mavis was nowhere to be found and Cira went into her room, ready to tinker the afternoon away, waiting for Saren. She cleared the center of her desk, pushing aside bits and pieces of barriers and cloaking devices, design plans and a little box.

_A box?_

She picked it up and examined it. There was nothing special about it, but it definitely hadn't been there this morning.

_Did Mavis leave this?_

She lifted the lid and pulled out what was inside. It was wrapped in paper and she carefully pulled the covering away then gasped. Inside was a little teardrop shaped crystal, with some wire wrapped around it in a beautiful swirling design. The pendant was attached to a cord that was braided in such an intricate pattern that Cira's eyes couldn't follow and her first impulse was to pull it apart and see how it was made but she fought back the urge. The crystal was gold, and she turned it to examine it from all sides but as she did, the color changed, slowly shifting from gold to green, then to blue. The colors continued to change as she turned it, showing every color that she could imagine. It was beautiful, and she gingerly lifted it to her neck and tied the cord. She activated her omni tool and typed a short thank you message to Mavis before pulling out her recent purchases from the Presidium and beginning to pull them apart.

He was here. Cira didn't know how but she could always tell when Saren had arrived at her apartment. He didn't have access to get in though and Cira popped up from the desk and ran to let him in. When the door slid open, Nihlus came barreling through, slamming into Cira and quickly wrapping her in a bear hug… or Turian hug. He lifted her and swung her around before standing her on the couch, somewhat dazed.

"Hello little Roselli! Happy Birthday!"

"My birthday was yesterday Nihlus."

She leaned to the side slightly to peek around him and saw Saren slink into the room, the door sliding shut behind him. He rolled his eyes at Nihlus's enthusiasm and Cira smiled sympathetically at him. Nihlus notice none of this and continued.

"Well we couldn't get back by yesterday so we're celebrating today."

"I didn't know Turians celebrated birthdays."

"We don't, to be honest, Turians don't really celebrate anything and the idea is really strange, but humans do and you're human so we're celebrating."

It was Cira's turn to roll her eyes and she grinned at her friend before turning to Saren.

"And you're on board with this?"

He spared her nothing but a side long glare and Nihlus, having turned to see Saren's reaction, patted Cira's shoulder.

"He's excited on the inside."

Cira lowered herself into a sitting position on the couch, crossing folding her legs under her and Nihlus sat next to her.

"We don't have to celebrate Nihlus. Usually I just treat my birthday like any other day."

"What did you do yesterday?"

"Well…I went out with a friend. Dancing…and drinking."

Nihlus's mandibles spread wide in what represented a Turian grin.

"Cira Roselli…drinking. Those are two things I never thought would end up in the same sentence. Welcome to the world of fine liquor…and some not so fine. What else do humans do to celebrate?"

Saren huffed and pushed off from the wall, storming further into the apartment and entering Cira's bedroom, probably to rifle through her gadgets and see what she was working on.

Cira stared after him.

"What's wrong with Saren?"

"He was probably looking forward to spending the evening with his little human. But I hardly ever get to see you when I'm on the Citadel so we are going to do something to celeb-"

"A café." Cira interrupted him and he starred at her quizzically.

"There's a café here that's kind of like the one that we went to in the Spectre Training Facility. We could go there to celebrate."

"Just eat?"

"Yes. It's a common way to celebrate. Family and friends all gather and spend the evening talking and laughing and enjoying each other's company."

"Sounds simple enough. I don't think Saren would enjoy it though."

"It'll just be you and me then. Saren can wait here and I'll hang out with him afterward."

Nihlus nodded and got up off the couch, turning to smile at Cira. He noticed the pendant hanging around her neck and caught it in his talons, holding it still so he could examine it.

"Where'd you get this?"

"It was a gift. That's another way to celebrate birthdays. People bring gifts. It was from my friend Mavis."

"From Mavis…"

He turned the pendant around a few more times than smirked before letting it lay back against Cira's chest.

"I'll wait for you outside."

With that, he strode back out the door. Cira got up and made her way to her bed room, where Saren was holding the little box that the pendant had come in. Cira leaned against the edge of the door way and watched him for a while before speaking.

"That's one high tech piece of equipment you are holding, you'd best be careful."

He set the box down and looked at her, his eyes zeroing in on the pendant. He said nothing about it though.

"What do you want?"

"I need to grab a few things. Nihlus and I are going to go get dinner at a nearby café. You are welcome to join us if you want. If not I'll be back later and we can spend some time together."

He gave a stiff nod and set the box down, picking up a sheet of paper with her design plans for a security system to be installed at Hailroy when the newest group of students were tested and admitted.

"These are quite extensive."

Cira paused, in the middle of pulling her jacket on, and peeked around him to look at the paper.

"Of course it is. What happened at Hailroy was a tragedy. I was a part of it and I want to make sure something like that never happens again; to the best of my ability. I'll see you later."

She finished pulling on her jacket and ran out the door to meet Nihlus. Saren set the security plans down and picked up the next sheet. He knew that she wouldn't be long.

Dinner with Nihlus had been exactly what Cira needed. It was just like their time in the Brilack training facility when they would meet after Cira's training sessions with Saren, and Raithius's sessions with Nihlus, in a quiet café fully equipped with flirty Asari waitresses. This café was a little different though. First, it was on the Citadel, second, the waitress was a tiny Quarian woman, almost as small as Cira; but overall, the place still brought back memories of the training. They had spent a couple hours talking, reminiscing and speculating about the future. Then Nihlus had presented Cira with a gift…or the digital gift receipt for one.

"I placed the order while I was waiting for you to come out of the apartment. It will be a few days before it's done and it will be delivered."

"Nihlus, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I figured that since this is the first birthday I've ever celebrated, I'd follow all of the human traditions. You'll like it."

"How long are you staying on the Citadel? To be honest, I didn't know you were here. I didn't see you get off of Saren's ship."

"We were travelling separately. I made sure he came back though. I knew you'd want to see him."

"Thank you Nihlus."

He smiled and nodded. "It's about time you got back to him isn't it?"

"Yeah. I'll see you whenever."

Saren was in her kitchen when she got back, rehydrating a military ration pack. Cira rolled her eyes and took the 'food' from him, tossing it into the trash can as he scowled at her. She then pulled out a pan and some dextro ingredients that she had picked up earlier. Silently, she began to cook for him.

"If you were hungry, you should have come to dinner with us."

He didn't reply, simply stomped over to the couch and plopped down. It didn't take long for Cira to cook up a passable meal and she burst out laughing when she set it in front of him and he poked and prodded and inspected it before finally having a taste.

"If I wanted to poison you don't you think I could have done it in the numerous other meals I've cooked for you?"

"I'm looking for signs of unintentional poisoning."

"You mean like food that isn't fully cooked? I studied dextro cuisine so I could cook when you came back to the Citadel. I even learned how to make a bunch of Turian dishes that Nihlus said you liked, and I practiced making them for weeks while I waited for you. I'm pretty sure I can tell if it's cooked through."

"If you know so much about Turian cuisine why didn't you just cook instead on going out?"

"Because I would have had to ask Nihlus to leave. I only cook for you."

He blinked slowly, not saying anything but staring at Cira for a long while. She stared back until his eyes suddenly flicked down to the pendant still dangling around her neck. Cira's eyes followed his and she smiled.

"Do you like it? It's beautiful. My friend Mavis got it for me- Saren?"

He got up suddenly; leaving his meal half finished and stormed into the bedroom, hitting the lock behind him. Cira stared after him, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. It took her a moment to collect herself and she went up to the door, pounding on it.

"What the hell Saren! What is your problem?"

She hit the door until her omni-tool beeped with a message from Mavis.

_**Mavis G. **__My present to you was a night of booze and public orgies. You're welcome, by the way. I didn't get you a pendant, although if it gets me a promotion, go ahead and pretend I did._

Mavis didn't leave the pendant… then who did? Cira glanced at her bedroom door, still locked. She pressed her hand to the holo –controls and the lights turned green and it slid open. Saren was by the bed and he whirled on her, furious.

"How did you get in here?"

Cira put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side.

"Saren, I am probably the best hacker in existence. I can bring multi-trillion credit companies with the most advanced data security systems to their knees in a matter of minutes. How do you think I got in? I asked the door to open and it did. In the hierarchy of this apartment I rank over you so in the door's mind my orders take priority."

He huffed and turned away from her, crossing his arms and starring out the window at the Presidium lakes. Behind him, Cira smirked.

"You're throwing a tantrum like a child Saren. I got a message from Mavis. She said that she wasn't the one who left the pendant for me. Any idea who else it might have been?"

"Nihlus."

"He ordered a present for me, but it won't be done for a few days. Anyone else?"

He didn't answer and Cira moved up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I can think of someone." She whispered. "And I would want them to know that I think this is the most beautiful gift I've ever received and that I will treasure it always. Although I wish they would have told me where they'd gotten it."

He turned in her grip to face her, lifting the pendant and examining it.

"It looks like a new gemstone that was found recently somewhere in the Terminus Systems. Samples of it were being studied to see if it had any value. Maybe whoever gave this to you somehow procured a sample and had it cut and wrapped."

"And the cord?"

"Looks handmade."

"That's amazing! Why do you think they picked this stone?"

Saren's eyes flicked around the room, avoiding Cira's gaze.

"Maybe because it is still rare, and because it reminds them of your eyes."

You mean how they supposedly change color?"

He nodded and Cira removed her arms from around his waist to tap a finger against her chin in a mockingly inquisitive gesture.

"Hmmm… who do I know who has mentioned my eye color changing?"

Saren glared at her and she hugged him again, pressing her cheek against the warm plates on his chest.

"How did they get into my apartment?"

"They are a highly skilled and professionally trained Council agent. How do you think?"


End file.
